Today, to provide much-needed positivity and “Sunshine” this New Year, pop sensation Gabrielle – along with Actimel – brought an impromptu performance of her smash hit “Sunshine” to stunned morning commuters at London Waterloo Station.
As part of the surprise set, she performed fan favourites – including Thank you, When A Woman, Sunshine, Rise, Out Of Reach and Dreams – to hundreds of spellbound Brits returning to work for the first full week this year.
Aside from providing a mood-boosting experience to make commuters feel like they’re on top of the world, the campaign from Actimel encourages Brits to think about how they can support their immune system daily during winter.
Two thirds of Brits (65%) look for pick-me-ups just to get through January as despite the best of intentions, the nation fails to get off to the most positive start each New Year.
Over half the nation (53%) agree January is the bleakest month of the year, with those saying this is due to long dark days (62%), the chore of taking decorations down (23%), concerns about higher chances of getting ill (28%), and the absence of decent amounts of sunshine (52%).
In fact, 39% of Brits report experiencing a low mood more frequently in the winter months in comparison to summer months.
As well as combatting the bleakness of the New Year, almost half the nation (44%) say they believe their immune system is low and needing support in January. But despite this, 40% per cent don’t proactively change their daily routine in the winter months in comparison to summer to help support their immune system.
Top immunologist, Dr Jenna Macciochi, states “it can be more difficult for people’s bodies to make enough Vitamin D from sunlight as the winter sun doesn’t always have enough of the UVB component that is essential for Vitamin D synthesis.” This is made even more challenging when 48% admit they want to stay indoors more in winter due to the darker and colder days.
New research from the immune supporting partner reveals while Brits spend an average of seven hours and 13 minutes outside per week in summer, in the winter months, people are venturing outside for just four hours and 16 minutes – that’s less than 37 minutes per day!**
The poll of 2,000 adults found that while people may need to adjust their diet to get enough Vitamin D to help support their immune system. Of those who don’t proactively change their daily routine at all, almost a quarter (24%) reported they don’t eat a balanced and healthy diet to do so.
To educate consumers on how to adjust their routine to help support their immune system in winter, the campaign is backed by Dr Jenna Macciochi, who promotes the benefits of incorporating little daily habits as a sustainable way to do so.
Dr Jenna Macciochi’s top tips to support the immune system this winter:
Adapt Your Diet for Winter:
24 percent of Brits admit they don’t eat a balanced and healthy diet, and with more viruses around in the winter months, our immune system has to work hard to keep us well. Our overall dietary pattern can support proper immune function. I recommend embracing a varied and colourful diet packed with lots of seasonal produce like oranges and cruciferous veggies like broccoli for a healthy gut and immune system.
2. Be Mindful of your Daily Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that plays several important roles in supporting proper immune function. In winter we cannot rely solely on sunshine for Vitamin D. Instead, I recommend changing your dietary habits to incorporate Vitamin D. Actimel Plus is an easy and tasty way to support getting 100% reference intake (RI) of your Vitamin D*. It is also a source of B12 & B6.
3. Embrace the Winter Weather:
Research reveals while Brits spend an average of seven hours and 13 minutes outside per week in summer, in the winter months, people are venturing outside for just four hours and 16 minutes – that’s just 37 minutes per day! Try reframing your relationship with the winter weather – brave the cold, get out for a daily brisk walk and enjoy the magic of the season. Walking is a great way to get your daily movement in and physical activity has been linked to proper immune function.
4. Honour the Mind-Body connection:
Stress can have a detrimental impact on your health. Winter can bring additional stresses so being prepared with your toolbox of stress mitigation techniques can be helpful. For example, practices like meditation, yoga and breathwork are great tools to support us during stressful times. As can boundaries between work and home life.
5. Establish a Winter Wellness Routine:
Establishing a winter wellness routine is a great way to help you adapt to seasonal challenges and support your immune system through healthy habits. Routines can provide structure around healthy habits like waking up at the same time each day, getting daily steps in or designing a wind-down ritual at the end of the day. Actimel Plus fits seamlessly into such a routine by providing a tasty and convenient way which contributes towards your vitamin D requirements.
Tom Hickton, Category Manager at Danone UK & Ireland said: “We wanted to help brighten and add some much needed ‘Sunshine’ to the morning commute with many returning to work for the first full week at work after the festive break. In January, when the days are dark and cold, our immune system can be challenged. So, there’s no better time for people to pick up an Actimel Plus which provides 100% of the reference intake of Vitamin D to help support the normal function of the immune system.”*
To learn more about how to support your immune system please visit: https://www.actimel.co.uk/immune-system
